We're One and the Same
by Nyxaerr
Summary: "I guess I could call this the ultimate punch line, huh?"


The dreary light filtered through the holes in the rotted roof. Dust motes dancing in the spears of light. Slowly, twisting his aching neck Batman looked around him blearily, stars swirling in front of his eyes. As his vision returned he tried to recall what had happened. Oh, he remembered, he had been caught off-guard by the joker when he was taking out a truckload of his goons. Flexing his limbs, he soon figured that his wrists were bound behind him and his ankles secured to the flimsy wooden chair he was currently seated on.

"OOHH, _HEELLLOOO THERE_! Someone's awake~" Bouncing into the room, the Joker situated himself on Batman's lap, wriggling his butt, as if to get more comfortable.

"Get off me." Batman grit out, trying not to flinch as the maniac slid his hands teasingly down his thighs. The Joker paused, before reaching behind himself and producing an old rag.  
>"You've got to be jokin-" not giving him the chance to finish his sentence the smiling criminal tied to gag securely around his mouth. Before bouncing off of Batman's lap and dancing around the room for a bit. Suddenly the Joker appeared behind Batman, and, tilting his head at a grotesque angle he laughed.<p>

"_**HAHAHAA**_. The joke's **definitely **on you my dearest Bats! You're always running about, cleaning up these stained streets," moving back the Joker began waving his arms around in an almost comical manner, to emphasis his point. "Believing stubbornly in the greater good. But you're **WRONG!** And I think you understand that now. Your efforts have all been in vain!" suddenly a resounding boom could be heard echoing around the abandoned warehouse. "Can you hear that? That's the sound of defeat and _**FAILURE**_**.** That's the sound of everything you've ever held dear being ripped apart, piece by little piece – Don't believe me? Take a look for _yourself_." Spinning the chair around the Joker gave Batman a full view of the chaos raging outside their little 'hideout'. The flames roared high in the night sky, devouring everything in their path, and Batman was sure he could hear the screams of innocent civilians burning alive, trapped in their homes. He turned his head away, unable to watch helplessly as his city fell to the hands of criminals.

"_**HAHA**_, you'll see – You'll see the truth soon enough _**Bats**_**.** See the futili-" Snapping his head back up Batman glared at the killer mere inches from his face, and moved to head-butt him.

"-_awww_ did I upset you~?" the Joker sang as he danced back and out of reach.

"My, _**MY**_**!** Such a **temper!** You mustn't do that, you might hurt yourself – and we _**DEFINITELY**_ wouldn't want _THAT_! Now _would_ we? HAHAHAAA! But you see, this is the _end_! FOR **YOU**. I'm going to string you up all gutted, with your intestines dripping from your belly, for your _precious _city to see. The _**RODENT **_caught and culled!" the Joker laughed hysterically as if he had just told the funniest joke in all of history. He danced aimlessly around the room for a few minutes, watching in avid fascination as the city around him burned, before spinning right in close to Batman and snarling into his ear, all smiles and laughter gone, replaced by the deranged, angry psychopath underneath.

"And then I'll watch as your hard work is all undone. I'm going to watch as the city slowly loses all hope of redemption; I'm going to watch the darkness shroud this place. And you know what? I'm going to stand over your grave and _**laugh**__._" He smiled at the last word, his foul breath washing over Batman's face. A crude kitchen knife slid into his palm from somewhere in his jacket. He looked lovingly at the worn blade,

"Y'know, this was the blade that did _this._" As he said it the Joker grinned and pointed at his scars.

"That's why I love this piece of metal _soooo_ much, it made me who I _**am**_. Isn't that _great?_ Hahaha, oh, I'm sure you **agree** Bats dear. So, I'm gonna tell you a _juicy little secret_. It wasn't my _daddy_ that did this to me, .**me**." cackling loudly the Joker moved away from his prisoner, spinning the blade in the air.

"See, I was a very _unhappy_ little boy." As he said it the Joker posed in front of Batman and pulled his face into an exaggerated frown.

"But not any_ moree_~** Hahaha**!" he watched the light reflect and fragment over the worn blade for a few moments before plopping down in front of his prisoner, sitting cross-legged as if he was at school.

"See, I'm all happyhappyhappy now, happyhappyhappyhappyhappy_!_" He began to sing his voice flicking between octaves, one moment screechingly high, the next, impossibly low. Then he got up again, as if he couldn't bear to stop moving. Jumping around as he swung the knife around, one moment pretending to fight off people with it, the next feigning stabbing himself.

Suddenly he was right in front of Batman, his face mere millimetres from his. "But you already _knew_ that, _**didn't you?**_ Haha! _Well,_ I'd _love_ to stay and chat, but I've - _ah_, gotta be somewhere." He stood abruptly and glanced at his wrist, seeing no watch he scratched his head and shrugged.

"_So_ sorry Bats, but this is where you and I _must_ part. _Shame_ isn't it?" grinned the Joker, licking the flat blade of his knife. He took a menacing step toward Batman, who tried to move away futilely. Grinning even further, the Joker advanced on his prey, the knife held above his head and his eyes crazed and wide. He paused for a moment to blow Batman a kiss before he plunged the knife deep into Batman's heart. He didn't stop though, he stabbed again and again and again. Deeper and deeper, until he could feel the viscera and blood reaching his elbows as it sprayed around him. Revelling in the feeling of warm blood smattered across his make-up he laughed. He laughed and laughed his grin almost splitting his face.

Then he dropped the knife and took Batman's still masked head tenderly in his hands. Peering in at the lifeless eyes, he smiled.

"I guess I could call this the ultimate punch line, _huh?_" Then as abruptly as he began killing his arch nemesis, his personality switched again. The angry psychopath under it all came crawling out and leant in real close to Batman's ear and whispered.

"We're one and the same, Bats, only it appears that this time - I won."

**A/N**: No, i really don't know what the hell this is about, although, after having been in the head of the Joker all night you can hardly blame me. :)


End file.
